Rose D'souza, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Class of 2012

Hurricane Irene in Manhattan: At the Waterfront – Live Blog

Continuing on from previous post…

Saturday Evening

NBC’s Channel 4 is stationed outside in Lower Manhattan, right off Wall Street. I’m watching a bunch of fools sit in a dingy holding paddles on tv right now, and it makes me wonder if the reporters stationed at that corner feel slightly disappointed by how slow the news is right now.

Here is what has changed since this morning: nothing. Granted, the storm is going to hit Manhattan late into the night, but for now, there is nothing to fret about.

I walked along the waterfront near the FDR Drive ramp in Lower Manhattan. Here are some quotes from people in the area:

Jackie Joseph and her partner were walking their dog along Pine and Water Streets, which is located in the center of Zone A. Joseph, a 48-year-old fashion designer based in the Flatiron District, did not think that the Hurricane Irene would become a category 2 or 3, which is why she refused evacuate her building.

“We’re really about ten feet from the Zone B, so that’s like a lot of work for ten feet.”

When asked what supplies she bought to prepare for the hurricane, Joseph was quick to answer.

“Wine, vodka, and water.”

Further down the waterfront, Ben Demarco and Emily Wilson were walking back from an afternoon stroll. Like Joseph, the friends were unconcerned about the hurricane. The friends live nearby on Gold Street and wanted to get out of the apartment before they would be unable to do so.

Both Demarco, 24 years old, and Wilson, a 23-year-old student who is visiting from England, believe that the news is exaggerating how destructive the hurricane will be.

“Well the news is saying it’s a one. I think everybody’s just going to wait out and see exactly what happens.”

Instead of worrying about what could happen to his neighborhood, Demarco has found a useful way to deal with Hurricane Irene.

“We’re going to drink heavily, and play some cards if the power goes out. I don’t know, stay home.”

As they walk away, the calm weather seems to confirm everyone’s prediction that Hurricane Irene will peter out. The clouds are low over Brooklyn but the water is calm and it is only drizzling outside.

Down the waterfront near Fulton Seaport, Jan Lennertz is just one of several people jogging on the pier. Lennertz, a 31-year-old who lives in Midtown, 31 years old, was aware he was taking a chance by coming downtown today in Zone A but he had a good excuse.

“This is the best area to run,” Lennertz says while briefly stopping to answer a few questions. “I feel like it’s early enough.” Lennertz wanted to go for a run downtown before it started to rain heavily later this weekend.

Lennertz is not worried about how his family’s safety – he bought enough supplies for his wife and one-year-old daughter in case there is a power outage. However, Lennertz is unsure about he will commute to work on Monday.

“This morning I had to go to work for a little bit, so I just took a cab.”

Even if the subway system shutdown forces Lennertz to take another cab on Monday, he is now just focused on completing his jog along the West Side before Hurricane Irene ruins the rest of his weekend plans.